Commanders – Royal Canadian Air Force 2011 to Current Chief of the Air Forces Staff and Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force 2011 to 2012 Lieutenant-General André Deschamps, CMM, CD 2012 to 2015 Lieutenant-General Yvan Blondin, CMM, CD 2015 to 2018 Lieutenant-General Michael John Hood, CMM, CD 2018 to present Lieutenant-General Alexander Donald Meinzinger, CMM, MSM, CD 1 Lieutenant-General Joseph Paul André Deschamps, CMM, CD Commander – Royal Canadian Air Force 2011 to 2012 Chief of the Air Staff 2009 to 2011 Born: Honours 22/05/2010 CMM Commander of the Order of Military Merit Military 1977 Officer Cadet Joined the Canadian Forces 1978 Lieutenant Completed Pilot Training – Instructor on Musketeer at CFB Moose Jaw 1982 Captain Flew CF-104 Starfighter aircraft in Europe 1983 Major Flying and Staff Officer Positions 2002 Colonel Commanding Officer 2 Squadron NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany 2004 Colonel 8 Wing Canadian Forces Base Trenton 2005 Colonel Commanded Theatre Support Element (Camp Mirage) Op Athena (Afghanistan) 2006 Brigadier-General Chief of Staff (Operations) Canadian Expeditionary Force Command Ottawa 06/2008 Major-General Assistant Chief of the Air Staff 10/2009 Lieutenant-General Chief of the Air Staff, Air Command 15/08/2011 Lieutenant-General Commander of the newly renamed Royal Canadian Air Force 27/09/2012 Lieutenant-General Retires – replaced as Commander of the RCAF by LGen Yvan Blondin Medals CMM Gulf and Kuwait War with Bar General Campaign Medal with SWA ribbon Special Service Medal with bar NATO Peacekeeping Medal NATO with bar former Yugoslavia NATO with bar Kosovo Canadian Forces Decoration and 2 bars Flying Hours and Aircraft 7,500 flying hours + CT-134 Musketeer CF-104 Starfighter CC-130 Hercules 2 Lieutenant-General Joseph Aimé Jean Yvan Blondin, CMM, CD Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force 2012 to 2015 Born: Aylmer, Quebec Married: Jinny Lamoureux Honours 09/02/2013 CMM Commander of the Order of Military Merit 02/03/2008 OMM Officer of the Order of Military Merit 31/08/2013 Officer Legion of Honour (France) 21/05/2014a Grand Commander Air Force Cross for Aeronautical Merit (Columbia) Military 1980 Lieutenant Joined Canadian Forces – commenced Pilot Training 1982 Lieutenant Completed Pilot Training – Wings 1982 Lieutenant VU-32 Squadron Shearwater flying T-33 1983 Lieutenant 433 Tactical Fighter Squadron Bagotville training on CF-18 Hornet 1986 Captain Bachelor of Arts in Geography from University of Manitoba (1983 to 1986) 1988 Captain Flew CF-5 with 433 Squadron in Bagotville 1991 Major Canadian Forces Command and Staff College 1993 Major NDHQ as a Staff Officer 1999 Major United States Air Force Air War College 2000 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding Officer 425 Tactical Squadron, Bagotville, Quebec 2000 Lieutenant-Colonel Commander Cdn CF-18 Operational Force, Aviano NATO in former Yugoslavia 2001 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding Officer 425 Tactical Squadron, Bagotville, Quebec 2002 Lieutenant-Colonel NORAD Headquarters in Colorado Springs 2004 Colonel Commander 3 Wing CFB Bagotville, PQ / MBA University of Phoenix 2005 2006 Colonel Director of Staff at NATO ISAF Headquarters, Kabul, Afghanistan 2007 Colonel Deputy Commander Force Generation at 1 Cdn Air Division Winnipeg 03/01/2008 Colonel Space Operations Course for Senior Leaders National Security Space Institute 09/07/2009 Brigadier-General Commander 1 Canadian Air Division and Commander Cdn NORAD Region 07/2011 Major-General Deputy Commander – Royal Canadian Air Force 27/09/2012 Lieutenant-General Commander – Royal Canadian Air Force 2015 Lieutenant-General Retires – replaced by LGen Michael Hood 2015 Lieutenant-General 3,000 hours+ CF-18, CF-5 and T-33 Medals CMM General Campaign Star with SWA Ribbon Peacekeeping NATO with Bar Former Yugoslavia EIIR Diamond Jubilee Canadian Forces Decoration and 2 bars Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) Grand Commander Air Force Cross for Aeronautical Merit (Columbia) 3 Lieutenant-General Michael John Hood, CMM, CD Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force 2015 to 2018 Born: Honours 04/06/2016 CMM Commander of the Order of Military Merit Military 1987 Guardsman Canadian Grenadier Guards, Montreal, Reserves 1988 Lieutenant Air Combat Systems Officer Wings 1989 Captain Flying the CC-130 Hercules 1990 Captain Flying the Electronic Warfare T-33 and Electronic Warfare CE-144 Challenger Major Aide-de-Camp to the Governor General of Canada Major Directing Staff at the USAF Command and Staff College Major J3 International in the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Group 08/08/2003 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding Officer 429 Transport Squadron Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding Officer 436 Transport Squadron 01/2006 Lieutenant-Colonel J5 Plans at the start of the Cdn Expeditionary Force Command HQ 06/2007 Colonel Commander of 8 Wing Trenton 07/2009 Brigadier-General Director General Air Force Development 07/2011 Brigadier-General Deputy Director General of International Security Policy 09/2012 Major-General Deputy Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force 06/2013 Major-General Director of Staff, Strategic Joint Staff 09/07/2015 Lieutenant-General Commander Royal Canadian Air Forces Graduate of Canada’s National Security Program Graduate of the USAF Command and Staff College Masters Degree in International Relations from Auburn University, Alabama Medals: CMM Gulf and Kuwait Medal with Bar General Service Medal with SWA ribbon SSM with 2 bars Peacekeeping Medal NATO Medal with bar former Yugoslavia CD and bar 4 Major-General Alexander (‘Al’) Donald Meinzinger, CMM, MSM, CD Commander – Royal Canadian Air Force 2018 to present Born: Honours 02/06/2018 CMM Commander of the Order of Military Merit 09/02/2013 OMM Officer of the Order of Military Merit 27/04/2013 MSM Meritorious Service Medal 22/02/2014 Officer Legion of Merit (USA) Military 09/1985 Officer Cadet Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston 05/1989 Lieutenant Graduates from RMC with a BA Honours in Economics and Commerce 09/1989 Lieutenant Attends Queen’s University 06/1990 Lieutenant Graduates from Queen’s University with MA in Economics 07/1990 Lieutenant Begins his flying training at CFB Moose Jaw 1992 Lieutenant Obtains his Pilot’s Wings at CFB Moose Jaw 1993 Lieutenant Completes his Helicopter Training 1994 Lieutenant Flies CH-135 Twin Huey and CH-146 Griffon 1995 Captain Deploys with 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron United Nations Mission in Haiti 1996 Captain Instructor Pilot & Flight Commander 403 (Helicopter) Operational Training Sqd 2000 Major A3 Tactical Aviation Systems at 1 Canadian Air Division 2001 Major Attended the Land Forces Command and Staff College in Kingston 2002 Major Flight Leader with the 408 (Tacical Helicopter) Squadron 2004 Major Executive Assistant to the Chief of the Air Staff 08/2006 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding Officer 403 (Helicopter) Operational Training Squadron 2008 Lieutenant-Colonel Canadian Forces College inaugural National Security Programme 2009 Lieutenant-Colonel Graduated from CF College with an MA in Security and Defence Management 2011 Colonel Deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan Commanding the Canadian Air Wing 5 Mos 06/2012 Brigadier-General NORAD/NORTHCOM Deputy Director of Strategy, Policy and Plans 07/2013 Brigadier-General Commandant Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston 05/2015 Major-General Deputy Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force 03/2017 Major-General Director of Staff, Strategic Joint Staff 20/04/2018 Lieutenant-General Promoted to Lieutenant-General 04/05/2018 Lieutenant-General Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force Medals: CMM MSM General Campaign Star with SWA ribbon Peacekeeping Medal United Nations Haiti Medal EIIR Diamond Jubilee Medal CD and Bar Officer of the Legion of Merit (USA) 5 Major-General Alexander (‘Al’) Donald Meinzinger, CMM, MSM, CD Commander – Royal Canadian Air Force 2018 to present 6 .